Ulan Bator, Mongolia to Irkutsk, Russia (2012) || Riding The Rails
I’ve only now just figured out the timetable for this train, the one posted at the end of my carriage. As a result I now know I’ll be arriving in Irkutsk, my first stop in Russia, early tomorrow morning having spent not one but two nights on this train getting...
Ulan Bator, Mongolia (2012)
A pictorial look at a return to Ulan Bator, the sleepy, unkempt capital of Mongolia & the centre of the Mongolian universe.
Terelj National Park, Mongolia
Few places on earth scream of the great outdoors like Mongolia. The very word conjures up visions of the untamed – Genghis Khan, nomads wandering the Gobi Desert with their livestock, & wild horses galloping across the endless steppes. Yes, the land without...
Hohhot, China, to Ulan Bator, Mongolia (2012) || Riding The Rails
It was deja vu all over again. Just like seven years ago, I eventually made it out of China and after two nights of riding the rails in a well-worn Mongolian train carriage I arrived earlier today, October 31 2012, in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator. It’s...
Beijing, China (2012)
Beijing is the mammoth capital of China, the world’s most populous country, & has been, for much of the past eight centuries, the political, educational, and cultural centre of the country. The city is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, gardens, tombs,...
Shanghai To Beijing, China || Riding The Rails
The last time I travelled the 1,200+ kilometre distance between Shanghai & Beijing, China, was back in 2004 & I did so by the fastest possible train connection available at the time – a 15-hour overnight sleeper train. Now one can make the trip in 5 hours 30...
Shanghai, China (2012)
It might surprise a few to know that Shanghai is actually the largest city in China. It might also be fair to say that not a lot of people know a lot about the city – it’s one of those under-the-radar destinations, one that travellers don’t seem to give much...
Hong Kong, China (2012)
Hong Kong, designated a SAR, or Special Administrative Region of China, is home to one of the world’s greatest & most photogenic cityscapes. I was looking forward to getting reacquainted with the world-famous HK light show & so a few nights ago – on my...
Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal, India
The centre of India’s 3rd most populous urban area, a likeable city teeming with people & boasting some of India’s best British-era colonial architecture.